Peace imbues the Christmas carol Silent Night. Written for a Christmas Eve service in Austria, it was first performed in 1818. As I listen, I feel the quiet calm of a snowy landscape lying under the stars.

The song returns us the first evening of Jesus’s birth, shepherds trembling at the myriads of angels filling the sky, a brilliant star over Bethlehem, and a mother with her new born infant. No normal baby, Christ the Savior was born, the Lord of all the universe at his own arrival.

The organ at the small church in Austria was damaged that night (possibly due to a flood), so a soloist accompanied by guitar performed the song. When you hear Silent Night in that style you’re experiencing the tune in its purest form.

The lyrics remind me of how the Lord comes to us. Not with amplification, but in quiet. Elijah didn’t heard the voice of God in wind or earthquake or fire, but in a whisper —a still small voice.

I encourage you to find a version of Silent Night you enjoy (try this one), turn down the lights, and allow tranquility to pervade your soul. Perhaps the Lord has a word for you as well in his still, small voice.

Luke 2; 1 Kings 19:11-13

Photo by Tim Umphreys